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Credit & Copyright: Gabor Balazs
Explanation:
At
this year's
end
Mars still
shines brightly in
planet Earth's night
as it wanders through the head-strong constellation Taurus.
Its bright yellowish hue dominates this
starry field of view
that includes Taurus' alpha star Aldebaran and the
Hyades and Pleiades star clusters.
While
red giant Aldebaran
appears to anchor the
V-shape of the Hyades
at the left of the frame, Aldebaran is not a member of the Hyades star
cluster.
The Hyades cluster is 151 light-years away making it the nearest
established open star cluster, but Aldebaran lies at less than half
that distance, along the same line-of-sight.
At the right, some 400 light-years distant is the open star cluster
cataloged as Messier 45,
also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters.
In Greek myth, the Pleiades were
daughters of the
astronomical
titan Atlas and sea-nymph
Pleione.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mars - hyades - pleiades
Publications with words: Mars - hyades - pleiades
See also:
- APOD: 2025 July 15 B Collapse in Hebes Chasma on Mars
- APOD: 2025 July 8 B The Pleiades in Red and Blue
- APOD: 2025 July 6 B The Spiral North Pole of Mars
- APOD: 2025 June 29 B Dark Sand Cascades on Mars
- APOD: 2025 June 22 B A Berry Bowl of Martian Spherules
- APOD: 2025 June 15 B Two Worlds One Sun
- Perseverance Selfie with Ingenuity